NEW DELHI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde arrived in the Indian capital late Sunday night on a week-long state visit to the country.
This is King Philippe's first visit to India following his ascension to the throne in 2013.
The royal couple is accompanied by six ministers and a high-powered business delegation comprising CEOs of 86 Belgian companies and 13 chiefs of academic institutions.
Sources said the royal couple will go to the northern Indian city of Agra, barely 250 km from Delhi, to see Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, on Monday.
"King Philippe will meet Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday and attend an India-Belgium Business Forum meeting the next day," the sources said.
On Thursday, the royal couple will travel to India's financial capital Mumbai, according to the sources.
The visit is aimed at strengthening the historical strong ties between the two countries, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said.
Belgium was among the first European countries to establish a diplomatic mission in India after it gained independence from colonial Britain in 1947.
India is Belgium's second-largest export destination and third-largest trade partner outside the European Union.
In 2016-17, the bilateral trade was 13.28 billion U.S. dollars, of which exports from India to Belgium stood at 5.65 billion dollars while imports were 6.62 billion dollars.
